May 12, 2020
From Nicole Samolis of Sky Armory on May 12:
It is a pleasure discuss our shared concern and draft Guidance Reopen Plan on how large events can safely occur in a post pandemic environment. The first goal of every event organizer is the health and safety of the attendees and service providers. We traditionally prepare for weather, accidents, and other potential threats. We are in a new environment where we do not have the wisdom of experience to plan for traditional health and safety concerns.
We built SKY Armory as a venue designed with versatility in mind, blending history with modernity. We are an urban chic venue in the heart of downtown Syracuse, New York featuring three loft style ballrooms that can accommodate from 25 to 900 guests. The appeal of our venue to wedding couples had us poised to host 80 wedding this year. The pandemic has pushed many of these receptions to the fall and 2021.
As such, the pandemic has required us to rethink how we provide a safe environment. Using the broad outline provided by the guidelines prepared by the Center of Disease Control, we developed strategies on how a large group can gather safely. A key component is taking advantage of having a controlled environment with a huge jump start in contact tracing capability. The attached Interim Guidance Reopen Plan can be modified for multiple private events as well as public events where ticketing procedures include contact collection and communication elements.
Our contention is that we can safety prepare, monitor and control our environment. By partnering with our clients, we have much that we can control to minimize risk and response to any exposure.
Respectfully,
SKY Armory
Nicole T. Samolis
President and General Manager
NYS Certified WBE